Thoughts on treadmill running

With the days getting shorter and winter approaching, I'm rethinking my running program. Because yesterday was cold and rainy, I figured it was the perfect time to use my trial membership at a fitness center nearby and decide whether that'll be my home gym this winter. A few observations about treadmill running:

• I knew I wasn't setting any world records, but the monitor thingy confirmed that I'm really slow. My confidence definitely took a hit yesterday.
  
• I've been running for time rather than distance. My actual mileage isn't nearly as impressive as I thought.
• My hip flexors hurt today because I set the incline too high. I'm also fairly certain that my gait wasn't the same since treadmills limit motion to some extent.
  
• It's boring. Where am I supposed to look? The monitor? The TV? The sweaty guy next to me? The mirror three feet in front of my face? Pass.
  
• I must make sure that my iPod is fully charged BEFORE I get to the gym. Music would surely take away some of those "hamster on a wheel" thoughts going through my head.

Bottom line, I'm not sold on the treadmill concept but I'll have to use it if I want to keep up my training through the winter. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold-weather running. I'm okay once I get started, but I dread getting bundled up and facing the wind and cold.

Luckily, the rain has stopped and it's nice and sunny today. After a good amount of stretching, I'll go on a 30-minute recovery walk before sunset.

Many happy birthdays, Jules.

Julie, I realized last night that I neglected to get your Hawaiian address so I could send you a card. A blog shout-out is a poor substitute for the real thing, but I wanted you to know that we were all thinking of you yesterday. :)

visita

Quick question. Are you guys getting a hotel room when you come to visit, or do you want to stay at my apartment? You are more than welcome to stay...I just may be getting up early and using my bathroom off the bedroom while you lovely people sleep. I'm also not sure logistically-wise how we'd share the key to lock the front door. Let me know...

I have found the tool for getting in touch with old friends

Hint: It's not Facebook.

Answer: Change your e-mail address. Within 2 hours of sending everyone a note to update their address books, I got a message from an old friend that I haven't talked to in at least 18 months. We're calling each other on Sunday.

Points to Ponder

When asked who the president is, why do all my delirious patients say Barack Obama? They can never remember Bush's name...

Call me crazy, but I like working with the old guys at the VA Hospital. When I was assessing the activities of daily living on one of my patients and asked if he helped with shopping, he said, "Yeah, I need to make sure my wife gets all the goodies." It totally reminded me of Grandpa Meyer and his secret drawer of candy!

surfing update

This will be a quickish post, because I'm at work (it's slow here), but I'm super proud of my progress on the board.

I've had 4 private lessons so far here (2 to go) and am capable of choosing a wave, knowing when to paddle, adjusting my body on the board for variability in the wave, standing, surfing suavely, and even walking forward on the board mid-wave.

This is one activity I'm definitely going to miss when I leave. At least I already have 2 coworkers who have offered their homes to stay whenever I want to come back. I'm pretty good friends with one of them. We go outrigger canoe paddling twice a week. It's fun, but tiring.

Yep. Another update later this week maybe, new topic.

A recommendation for the crafty ladies out there

Wal-Mart recently started carrying the Martha Stewart line of crafting products. I hate to contribute to that crazy lady's fortune, but I really like them. I bought one of her stamp pads, which I think are just as nice as the Colorbox brand, and a few stamps. She has a lot of cool ribbons, stamps, and doodads for cards and paper projects. I especially like her wedding and botanical motifs. Most of her colors are muted brights -- kinda like Real Simple magazine.

I've been slacking in the card-making department lately. I'm sort of looking forward to cooler weather that forces me to stay inside and work on stuff like that. On a related note, I'm feeling unbalanced these days. Not unbalanced as in depressed ... just that I feel pulled in too many directions right now. I turned down a social event Tuesday night so I could stay home and get my chores done. Pathetic? Maybe. But I sure felt a lot calmer after I knew that cards for my in-laws were in the mail (a week late, unfortunately), we'd cooked a nice meal instead of eating hot wings at said social event, and massive amounts of laundry were clean and put away.

Fall in Nebraska

Saturday was one of those rare perfect days in Nebraska: sunny, 75 degrees, and just a slight breeze. Since Andy is out of town, I recruited Hayley and my friends Ellie and Erin to join me at the AppleJack festival in Nebraska City, which is about 55 miles from Lincoln. (Note: Andy would never consent to going to AppleJack, even if he were around!) AppleJack is a fairly typical small-town festival, but the setting is a lot nicer. Nebraska City is rather picturesque and has lots of rolling hills and orchards and trees -- hence, the annual apple-picking festival. I have a lot of fun memories of marching in the AppleJack parade in high school. Ellie was involved in most of those shenanigans, so it was only appropriate that I asked her to come. :)

Our first stop was the Kimmel Orchard, where we picked apples and loaded up on fresh cider (best juice on Earth, I swear) and caramel apples. I had high hopes for finding apple donuts, but I gave up because they were located in the most inconvenient spot in a very crowded narrow building.

Maybe Hayley can post a picture of us picking apples. Andy had our camera, so I wasn't able to document this little outing.

After the apple picking, we went to the Arbor Day Tree Farm for a picnic lunch. I brought sausage and cheese from UNL's Dairy Store, and Erin brought asiago cheese bread from Panera. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon just hanging out and relaxing.

Our friend Melissa's parents had a fall festival at their gorgeous house tonight. I got home about 45 minutes ago, and frankly, I'm surprised that I'm still awake. After such a long, social day, my mind is on overload and won't shut down even though I'm tired. I'm not minding, though. I'm just enjoying my peaceful, quiet house and the wide-eyed kitty sitting next to me. I love my friends, but I'm an introvert at heart and spending 14 hours with the same group of people is really challenging for me.

On that note, I'm going to attempt to sleep again. Tomorrow's another big day, and so is Monday. I need all the rest I can get.

mini life updates

do any of you use twitter?

Hayley, are you back in Scottsbluff yet?

Mr Andy

Sorry for ignoring you post. Haven't been on here in forever!

Enter Hawaii

Well, this is what the sidewalks of downtown Honolulu looks like on a beautiful afternoon of shopping. It's hard to sum up my entire past week - I've been super busy. I started private surf lessons; that way I'll get as good as I can in as safe an environment as possible in the short time I'm here. Water is gorgeous and warm and now that I think about it, I haven't spend time just swimming and splashing in it yet. It's been pretty much just surfing. Shopping is amazing and intimidating at the same time. I'm not a great shopper - my endurance is not impressive. I've mostly been spending money on activities so far. And food. Food's not cheap. The cheapest gallon of milk I've found is $6. Cereal is at least $6.50... and that's not for the large family-sized box. But whatever. A girl's gotta eat. I did invest in a lovely pair of tahitian pearl earrings. The clothing here is all beautiful, but not practical for Wisconsin... so I'm not really going to buy any.

Today I went up to the north shore region of the island, to a small town called Haleiwa. I had a mango shaved ice there... according to the locals, it's the best shaved ice on the island. It's pretty much the best (and largest) snow cone you've ever tasted... in dozens of flavors (not colors) and just doused with sugary flavor goodness.

Work is also great. If this site was in Wisconsin, I still would have liked to go. The other day, I took a prescription over the phone for a sea lion! We do a lot of compounded prescriptions, primarily for animals but also some bioidentical hormones and a few pediatric doses and unique dosage forms (i.e. drug-infused lollipops). We dispense the classic blood pressure and cholesterol meds as well, but the compounding is definitely what gets me excited. Vets and physicians actually call asking for help for dosing difficult patients. It's quite fulfilling. And all the people I work with are great. This one's going to be hard to leave at the end of the block.

I will be working 4 Saturday mornings aside from my normal weekday 8:30-5 so I can take a couple week days off when Mary comes. Considering how much I've experienced in my first week, I can only hope Mary is able to have half as much fun. And I plan on doing as much of it with her as I can. Mary, I think I'm going to take a short bodyboarding lesson next weekend just to have general technique down before you all come. I'm thinking on that first Sunday we'll do the arizona memorial, bodyboarding, beachside lunch, beach relaxing, then roy's for dinner. Don't worry, I won't plan every moment of your trip here, but I want to make sure your first day is filled with amazingment (plus it's my birthday, so I get at least some say).

Anyway, it's time for me to be getting ready for bed. I try to get to sleep around 9-9:30 so I can get a morning workout in before going to the pharmacy. And speaking of workouts, tomorrow night is my first pole dancing class! From the email sent out to the six signed up for the lesson series, it looks like at least 2 are students at the university in honolulu... perfect opportunity to meet girls for weekend dancing nights. =)

Paging Dr. Mary and Nurse Hayley

I promise I won't make a habit of asking you for medical advice over the interwebz, but I need to know whether it's crucial to see a doctor about a problem I've had all summer.

I've been having these awful coughing spells at night, especially when I first lay down. I also wake up with a stuffy nose and drainage in my throat. I don't have any of these problems during the day, so what's up? Am I allergic to our bedroom? Should I buy an air purifier?

These coughing fits interrupt my sleep and I'm majorly cranky today because I spent all night tossing and turning.

I have not consulted WebMD because I turn into a hypercondriac whenever I read anything on that site. Cancer is WebMD's answer for everything, it seems.

Okay, just writing this out makes it clear that I need to see a doctor. Are there any questions I should make sure to ask?

And so it begins.

4 days before the DNC:

Denver already has a scare where envelopes containing white powder are delivered to one of McCain's campaign offices. Five people drive themselves to the hospital to get checked out for possible anthrax poisoning. (negative).

I can only imagine what it will be like when several hundred thousand people descend upon Denver this weekend. Fortunately, if there is some sort of mass casualty, most of the trauma will go to the surgery services. However, every single alcohol or drug overdose and dehydration case will be coming to internal medicine. I also happen to be starting at Denver Health Medical Center on Saturday, which, as the county hospital, is first in line for any patients coming in. The ER is going to be a zoo. They've already told all the hospitalists at Denver Health that they need to be on call this week.

Apparently they are giving all the homeless people movie tickets to get them off the streets during the convention. Down at Invesco Field they will be having full size replicas of the Oval Office and AirForce One for tourists to see. La. I will be staying home to watch the proceedings on television.

Hooray for Shawn Johnson!

I think Andy summarized it nicely: Come on, you leggy beeyotch, let the little one win something!

For the record, we have nothing against Nastia Liukin. But c'mon, Shawn is our little Midwestern girl. (Nastia's home state of Texas is not part of the Midwest, IMHO.) Shawn's from IOWA; that practically makes us kin! Did you know that the Iowa State Fair is featuring a butter sculpture of S.J.? I realize butter sculptures are standard Fair fare, but the Nebraska State Fair sucks, so I must give Iowa credit for state fair excellence.

Wisconsinites, are your heads about to explode? I think you guys hate Iowa even more than we do.

Nastia is a beautiful gymnast, but I wish she'd wipe that sour look off her face. She doesn't need to be all smiles 24/7 like S.J., but doesn't she realize that pursed lips make her look perpetually pissed off? I predict that even though S.J. finished behind Nastia in the all-around, she'll get more endorsement deals simply because she's more likable.

The Des Moines Register has some excellent articles about Shawn.

Nastia Liukin got shafted.

You'd think they'd figure out a fair way to judge by now.

almost HAWAII time!!

I'll be there in just 2 weeks! When I find out my apartment number, I'll be sure to post my address. Yay! And to top things off, I found pole dancing studios (legitimate gym classes) near my apartment. ;)

There may still be hope...

After today, I have concluded my athletic abilities may not be totally lost. It all began this morning as I was trying to begin my first paper of the semester. Yes, the semester has not even begun and I already have an assignment for my Education class. It's not that it is particularly hard, considering it is a biographical sketch about ourselves, but I had been putting it off for weeks because my brain has been in suntan mode rather than school mode. However, since the pool is closed now, I figured I better start gearing my brain up. Anyway, I was experiencing severe writer's block when my phone rang -- a perfect distraction I thought! It was Margaret, calling because she was going to play in a slow-pitch softball tournament in Goehner and they were short a girl. She was calling because she wanted me to play! ME! I immediately began my attempt to get out of the situation, reminding her I sucked at softball, I hadn't played in years, and I didn't think I had a glove. She rebuffed my attempts by saying they were desperate, insisting if I played catcher, I would hardly have to do anything, and assuring me they had an extra glove. The game would begin in 10 minutes, so I needed to hurry if I was going to make it. Me, being a pushover, agreed to come. I threw on some clothes and was out the door only a couple of minutes. The kicker was Chip had been asked to play in this same tournament earlier in the week. I would be playing against him in the first game.

On my 10-minute drive to Goehner, the butterflies began. I was so nervous. I couldn't believe I had actually agreed to be publicly humiliated. My mind kept flashing back to the days of P.E. when Ryan Pankoke yelled at me every time we were on the same team if I made a mistake. I kept hoping none of the team members (Beaver's finest, by the way) would be as competitive as he had been. Then, I thought about how much Chip would probably make fun of me. For the most part, I have avoided playing any form of sport in front of him, but this was unavoidable.

As soon as I got there, I was up to bat. I thought, you gotta be kidding me. Luckily, there were 2 outs and the guy in front of me walked, which meant I got to walk too without even touching a bat. So far, so good. Then, when we were in the field, every player hit the ball, which meant I didn't have to catch the ball. Yay! Unfortunately, I didn't get that lucky all day. However, I am proud to say, I hit every ball pitched to me during the first game and I didn't screw up catching. The second game, I struck out once, hit once, and walked once, so it was all good. Plus, Chip never made fun of me once, he was proud of me, and it actually made me feel better knowing he was there. Sadly, we did lose to him, though. Also, the team wasn't super competitive, and they were happy with how we played! All in all, I am very proud of myself for giving it a try and not totally sucking. I would probably even play again, if I was ever asked. It turned out to be a fun day and it got me away from my paper for a little while (I did finish it later!). It also let me know that there are still some athletic skills in me, no matter how small they may be!

Alright PoliSci Paul, Call your shot.

A few weeks from conventions. Who are the Veeps going to be?

Appliance love

I don't understand why a rice cooker works so much better than a pan with a lid, but I don't care. I am in love with my new rice cooker, a birthday gift from Andy. Rice turns out perfectly fluffy and steamed each time. Whenever I cooked rice in a regular pot, it turned into a starchy, gooey mess. My upgraded model is compact, made of nonstick material and very cute. It even matches the toaster and the tea kettle (which you can see in the background)!

On another note, is everyone watching the Olympics? I am very sleep-deprived from staying up to watch the end of the men's gymnastics competition last night. On to the ladies competition tonight!

Still in the throes of summer

I look forward to summer all year long, and this one has not disappointed.

One of our best friends got married Friday night. The wedding weekend rocked -- a superbly tasty rehearsal dinner at a Greek restaurant, followed by a late-evening swim with friends. The wedding itself was very moving and emotional, and the reception ROCKED. I danced all night (and I wasn't even drunk while doing so, heh heh). After a recovery day on Saturday, we headed out to the lake with friends on Sunday afternoon.

August is one busy month: two more weddings, a bridal shower, a baby shower, a birthday party (mine!), a cookout, and a football game on Labor Day weekend. I may go into a mild depression when all these social occasions wind down ... or maybe I'll be grateful for more sleep. :)

The only thing that's getting me down is a case of the summertime sniffles. Boo. And I'm getting a wee bit fatigued, so I need to start pacing myself a bit better. My poor garden is looking all bedraggled too.

My quest to become stronger and healthier is still going strong. I've lost eight pounds and am sticking to my 5k training program (although I took a break last week to escape the 100-degree temps).

Trails are Overrated, IMHO

Yesterday one of my co-interns (with whom I also went to medical school) and I adventurously decided to go hiking near Mount Evans. Here is how it went:

First, admire Echo Lake and dutifully note the signs warning of black bears. Second, lose the trail after only five minutes but glimpse a lake in the distance. Vow to reach said lake. Find cool walking stick, poke hand with it, and later hurtle it off a steep cliff of boulders. Clamber down the steep cliff for an hour, maneuver down six-foot dropoffs, and come upon Idaho Springs Reservoir. Marvel at big trout. Sidestep horse poop left by a caravan of campers. Find trail again (marker 52), after missing intervening 50 markers. Continue leisurely for another hour, walking amongst wildflowers and pine trees, under the cloudless blue sky, with mountainous peaks surrounding us. Spot second lake up ahead but, alas, trail does not lead to it. No matter. Bushwack through a quarter-mile of prickly branches in running shorts, scratch up legs, ignore bleeding, accidently step in mudhole up to mid calves, note ground is growing progressively more swampy, press on, arrive at lake, and wade around in it to clean off mud-soaked shoes and socks. Eat lunch perched on a boulder. Realize need to bushwack back through bushes taller than our heads. Fashion mud-shoes by tying pine branches underneath shoes with long laces. This works for a while. Make it back to the trail and follow it back to the parking lot. Fortunately have not contracted a tick-borne illness or poison oak yet, but delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions require up to 72 hours to present themselves. Give it time.

Colorado is not for the faint-hearted. Tomorrow I'm going hiking at Eldorado Canyon. Four more days of vacation left!

Olympics in 7 days!!! Who's excited???

Anuncios

Julie,

In preparation for when you move to Denver, I have already scoped out the dance studio where we can take adult ballet, jazz, breakdancing, and belly-dancing classes...Cherry Creek Dance Studio. You're welcome for my foresight.

-M

the quilt

Scrubs Episode 2: My First Month

Hola todos,

Well, I have emerged from a month of q4 overnight call on VA wards. What has this first month brought? My attendings, co-intern, and senior resident were great. I felt like I had a lot of autonomy but enough back-up , too. My third day, though, my senior and attending weren't in the hospital, and my first patient that I had admitted died of sepsis. I had to pronounce the patient, call the coroner, call the organ donation office so they could prepare the patient's eyes for potenital corneal transplant, and talk to the family all by myself, including asking for an autopsy. The family had flown in from all over the country. They thanked me for all my help, which was kind of humbling...I really was THE doctor in that situation! Other highlights/lowlights of this month: putting in a central line (internal jugular) using ultrasound guidance; pushing IV metoprolol and diltiazem on the floor because my patient was in rapid atrial fibrillation with blood pressure in the 80s; and handing down a new diagnosis of AIDS to one of my patients. I worked over 80 hours every week that month; one week I put in over a 100 hours...so much for work hour restrictions.

I still feel that I have had a more balanced life so far than during much of undergrad and medical school. This past week I went to a Colorado Rockies game with a group of my co-interns. Yesterday, Lauren, another intern, and I drove 3 1/2 hours to the Great Sand Dunes National Park down towards New Mexico, by the Sangre de Cristo Mountatins (see above). It was amazing...if you turned your back to the mountains, it looked as if you had been transported to Egypt! We climbed the High Dune, which was 800 feet tall. People brought sleds and snowboards on the dunes, too! They also had "dune chairs" for disabled people, which were wheelchairs modified with thick wheels that could more easily traverse the sand. Then we waded around in a sandy creek right in front of the dunes...

Lauren exposed me to an Asian thing today. We went to Lollicups, which has these slushy drinks with tapioca balls on the bottom. Sounds disgusting, but I got a passion fruit slushy, and it was delicious. We went to WALL-E today, too. I'm telling you, I think the secret is making the most of your days off. My first vacation week is this coming week, and I am so excited. Talk to you guys later!

compass

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Reflections of Three Decades

So -- this old man turns 30 on Monday. That is so old, but as I bid my 20s farewell, I wanted to take a little stock of things and reflect a bit. Bear with me as I recount the last three decades.

First decade (ages 0 to 10)

• I remember I liked dirt.
• I liked pickles.
• I enjoyed the transformers and baseball cards.
• I think baseball cards were my first real dive into financial markets and stocks. As a player did better or worst, his cards got more valuable. So the challenge was to know which players would be stars before they became stars. I still feel bad to this day, but I probably swindled my friends out of hundreds of dollars in cards via our trading. But they should have done their research and figured out that Conseco was a junkie and Griffey Junior was going to have a phenomenal career.
• As much as I liked dirt, it did not taste good.
• My best friend, the Atari 2600. Awesome.
• Dude, multiplication tables are lame.
• I had sweet high-tops.
• What is a comb?
• You can never wear too much Neon.
• Saturday morning cartoons are the best TV shows ever!
  

Second decade part 1 (ages 11-17)

• Who are these girl creatures? Have they been here this whole time? Why won’t any of them talk to me?
• My best friend was a flannel tied around my waste and Pearl Jam was my God.
• I am clearly not going to be much of an athlete.
• I dig music.
• I want to be Zac Morris
  
• Why aren’t the girls talking to me yet?
• A powder clue Camaro Berlinetta was the coolest car ever.
• I wish I could gain weight and build some muscle – do not enjoy being a twig.
• I like people watching. Maybe I could have a career that involves getting inside the heads of people and trying to influence their decisions regarding discretionary income at a large not-for-profit corporation. Naaaah – I want to be a radio DJ or studio producer in a music studio.
• MTV is the best TV ever!

Second decade part 2 (ages 17-22).

• See, I was never much for math, so I consider my second decade ending after college, because I became a new person.
• I met a new friend at college – a pirate fellow named Captain Morgan
• Girls are talking to me. Unfortunately, none of them seem sane.
• If you get together with 300 friends and wear head to toe red polyester in front of 86,000 people and make a giant letter N, people will cheer very loudly.
• Dude, living away from home rocks. It’s like camp, only longer.
• I have this college thing licked, but classes are going too fast. Is there anyway I can stretch this out a few more years.
• I lived with an Alaskan, a Kansan, farm boys, Chicago guys, engineers, musicians, architects, business wannabes and has some of the best times ever when 8 of us lived together
• By the time I graduate from college, every building at UNL will be connected to this magic Internet thing.
• ESPN is the best TV ever!
• My landlord is a bitch
• Woo hoo. I got a degree.

Third decade (22-29)

• This Ashley gal seems OK. If she can put up with me, this may work out.
• Who is this FICA asshole and why does he get 11% of my money every month?
• Holy crap. I just signed a loan for over $100K to buy a house.
• Mmmmm – opportunities to be had in the Asian markets!
• I love my job and my boss is a fantastic mentor.
• Wedding showers are the shit. Guy shave to do nothing, and the ladies go and do something for a few hours and she comes home with all this stuff you registered for.
• My boss is now allegedly a crook being investigated by the attorney general
• I wish I could lose weight and build some muscle.
• Hmm, I still dig music. What other instruments do I want to play?
• Ok friends. Bye – as you all leave and go your separate ways.
• I had no idea I would attend 7,000 weddings in my 20s. Glad that’s over.
• I think I’m turning into Bob Vila.
• HGTV and the history channel (and CNN during the election) is the best TV ever.
• Eh, what the hell – I’m bored, so let’s go get another degree.
• Who needs a comb.

Wow. What an interesting evolution. I’m still not sure I am an adult yet. But I’ve come to grips with my own mortality and the heart problems in my family and have been doing a lot about it. On my 30th birthday (unless I really pig out on the 4th) I’ll be roughly the same weight as I was my freshman year of college and my running/biking stamina is the best it has been since I played outside all day as a kid.

I’m generally the same guy as I was when I was 18, only a lot more worldly. A sane girl finally talked to me. I concluded that there is a God, and I know that I’m not him. The rest I’m still trying to ponder.

I generally enjoy the road I took to 30, and the bumps and bruises made me who I am. Ash and I were happy and lucky (and ahead of our time) to live well below our means and save – which means the current economic mess isn’t really impacting us a whole lot like it is some of our friends who bought too much house or figured they could roll up debt forever.

I wonder what entering my fourth decade will bring? Likely children, possibly an opportunity to relocate or change careers, mastery of the guitar and Playstation 5 when it comes out, an iPhone, the country’s first libertarian president in 2016? Hair restoration surgery?

I’m not sure – but I can’t wait to find out.

Health food? I don't think so.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I’m making an effort to eat healthier. I’ve been very frustrated to discover that most low-fat or fat-free foods replace high-fructose corn syrup with something even more evil – artificial sweeteners. I have a huge aversion to sucralose, Splenda, NutraSweet, and the like. Not only do they taste terrible, but chemical sugar should not be considered a healthy alternative, even if it does contain fewer calories.

A few weeks ago, I found a terrific sale on Quaker Simply Harvest oatmeal packets. I tried the vanilla-almond variety and it was simply fantastic – filling, low-cal, high-fiber and tasty to boot! When I ran out, I had a dilemma: spend $4.29 for a 12-pack of oatmeal, which is ridiculous, or find a cheaper alternative. I went with the latter option. I picked up a variety pack Quaker Weight Control oatmeal, pleased that I’d found a similar product for less. Big mistake. On Saturday morning, I was stoked about drinking a cup of coffee and eating some banana nut muffin oatmeal. The first bite tasted cloyingly sweet, but I figured that I’d chosen the bad flavor in the box, so I finished the bowl. Then I looked at the package: Every variety contains a generous helping of sucralose.

Wonderful. I should’ve spent the extra $1.50 on the Simply Harvest, because I’ll probably never eat this weight-control stuff again. I expect to thoroughly inspect yogurt labels for offending sweeteners, but oatmeal? That one threw me for a loop.

Has anyone else run into this problem? It seems that most people aren’t bothered by artificial sweeteners, but my gag reflex kicks in whenever I get near the stuff.

I think I’ll stick with my Grandma Shirley’s advice: Eat the real stuff, just less of it.

Still Alive and Thriving

I have continued to obsessively check the blog for peoples' updates, but this past month I simply haven't felt I've had anything worth sharing. I'm living in La Crosse, WI and haven't made many friends here. For awhile I was able to hang out with a couple pharm girls from Drake, but their time here already ended and now I'm alone. A few classmates are in the area, but I'm not close to any of them and so haven't seen them outside of the hour-long weekly seminar. I joined a gym when I moved here and thought I could meet people at fitness classes, and once went kayaking with a group organized by a local outdoors store, but the only women in my age bracket I met have been married 5 years and have 2 kids. Today I then went to church because it was recommended as another place to meet people. The saddest thing is that I'm not actually lonely. In fact I'm frustrated with myself that I have no problem being without friends here.

My first clinical rotation is in the hospital with one of the general medicine teams. Acute care drugs are not my strong area, nor the mechanisms of actions of some of the common ones. Physiology has always been a little hard to conceptualize. I've made a lot of improvement since I've started, but my preceptors often look like they're a touch disappointed in my knowledge. It's not that I don't try, it's just that it takes me awhile to get into the groove. Luckily, I only have two more weeks in the hospital, then I start in the clinic/ outpatient pharmacy of the same health care system.

Back to my free time - the gym I joined is nice, but doesn't have a pool. The only gym in this town with a pool is the Y, and that was the most expensive membership so I had to do without. There are several outdoor community pools, but weather here has been difficult (random torrential rains). Kayaking was a lot of fun, but they only have trips Monday and Tuesday nights, which makes a long day by the time I get home from it at 9:00pm. I get up at 5:30 for work, so early bedtimes have been the norm this summer. I finished a pillow (hawaiian quilt style... see pic) that I started last August but hadn't had time to finish. The next day I started a quilt for Mary. It'll be a large throw, 65"x75", as a graduation/ birthday gift, but probably won't be done until end of summer (or end of fall if it's not done before I leave for Hawaii). It's going slow but well, and unfortunately I can't share any details except that it's a Julie original design, because Mary has to be kept surprised.

This weekend I've been trying to get a lot of pharm work done so my 4th of July weekend is totally free (I'll be going home to hang out with the fam minus Mary). Tomorrow I have to present a case presentation about complications with an intrathecal pain pump to my "colleagues" and not quite done preparing for that. It's been difficult finding pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information about most of the drugs used in the pumps, because only the use of morphine in them is FDA approved. But I have to figure out if other drugs could interact with them, since there's apparently no systemic absorption. THEN I have to write a short research paper on use of sodium bicarbonate vs. other oral hydration for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy. My research for that is essentially finished, so hopefully it'll just take a few hours of focus this week to get that finished up. So then all I'll have to do is pray to the weather gods for a gorgeous weekend.

I'll stop typing now. Ironically, I could probably keep typing. How about I just write shorter, more regular blog postings?

Ashley, your bloggings have been lovely. It sounds like you've had a wonderful summer so far!

Friday musings

It’s Friday afternoon and I’m miraculously caught up on my projects for the week; therefore, I can justify blogging in the middle of the afternoon. : )

I fell in love with San Diego last week. I went there to be the “face of UNL” at a biotechnology trade show – scary thought, huh? Anyhoo, every day I ate breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the San Diego Bay and even made it to Coronado Island and the Pacific Ocean twice. I taught my coworker Joel how to boogie board. Being in open water feeds my soul like few things do. I wish it were easier to catch a wave in the Midwest.

We’re spending four of the next seven days at the lake (yay for three-day holiday weekends). I won’t be able to boogie board, but my father-in-law has the pontoon boat up and running. Aces. As Hayley says, pontoon boats are the new yacht! I think that’s a lot of wishful thinking on her part.

As Paul pointed out, we liberals love to watch our carbon footprint. To reduce our gas consumption and get in shape, Andy has been biking to work at least three days a week. I think I have enough endurance to do the same, but I’m concerned about being a hot, sweaty mess by the time I arrive at the office. Who wants to sit next to the smelly girl in a meeting?

I’ve dedicated this summer to eating better and getting into shape. Slowly but surely, I’m changing my lifestyle, but I haven’t totally eliminated my cravings for ice cream and naughty summer treats.

I love Pandora Internet radio. Plug in a few of your favorite songs, and Pandora magically predicts your musical tastes. This afternoon, my radio station consists of U2, Counting Crows, Coldplay, John Mayer, the Fray, and Snow Patrol. Rock on. (Or rather, mellow out.)

Mary, we’re invading Denver in mid-July next year. We looked into getting tickets for the Mile High Music Festival on our anniversary, but Andy gets back from a conference the day before it starts and we can’t get our travel schedules to work out. So, we’ll do that next year.

Andy turns 30 on July 7 and we're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in less than a month. When did we become full-fledged adults, and how do we make it stop?

In all honesty, life is pretty damn great right now, even if it does require acting like a grownup. ;)

Julie, how are your rotations going? I miss hearing from you!

Paul's Post

Andy: Since you're a pretty clever fellow, you might want to take a look into adding an HHO generator to your vehicle. They can increase fuel efficiency by 50-75% I hear. Liberals like yourself always want to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint :P http://www.water4fuel.info/

Julie: I finally ate your partial box of Special K cereal and I have to say that it tasted wonderful.

Mary: I didn't forget about your birthday. I tried calling you on sunday, since you were busy monday, but you didn't answer :/

To anybody: Heres a few good songs that you may appreciate

Category 1: Light and Beautiful songs

The Cure-Friday I'm In Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSmfNxmaQHc

Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin- Glue Girls
http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/media/prc-151-01.mp3 (takes awhile to load)

Sugarbomb- Hello
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qer498uC0jc

Yes- Roundabout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyR-BNo-tUk

Category 2: Ghetto

Nelly- Heart of a Champion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bh7AsIZRMw

Category 3: Heavy Metal
Hate Crew Deathroll- Triple Corpse Hammerblow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWTBsncVr38

Scrubs, Pilot Episode

Gah. (strangled gasp). Orientation week is over, and, not feeling very oriented, I am starting on the VA wards on Monday.

This past week has been spent trying to forget this fact. This past Monday our intern class had a ropes challenge course as a team-building exercise. It was a great way to meet people, and I really like our class. I recognized several other interns from interviews. Monday night we went to a bar called Forest Room 5 for the evening social event. It was a beautiful evening out, with the distant sound of Blackhawk helicopters swarming through downtown and military peeps rappelling onto the top of skyscrapers, purportedly in preparation for the Democratic National Convention come August. Tuesday we all got our embroidered, long white coats that are all a size too big for us. Wednesday through Friday were spent getting parking, getting computer orientation on about ten different programs, and collecting our stack of ID badges which we will wear around our necks on no less than three lanyards. Highlight---I also received my business cards that I can hand out to people in the ER if I like them and want them to be my patients. Friday night we had a pool party at the Stapleton Puddle Jumper Pool, by the old Denver airport. We had the best BBQ from Famous Dave's there. Today, Saturday, about ten of us interns drove out to Boulder to hike up to Bear's Peak, in the Flatiron Mountains. It was seven miles round trip, and we gained about 2500 feet in elevation over the last mile. SO HARD!!! But, the view of snow-capped mountains and the clear blue skies was so worth it.
We stopped at the 7/11 on the way home for Cherry Limeade Slurpees. Delicious and very summery. Then I put on my suit, swam for about 45 seconds at our apartment complex pool, which was very frigid, and afterwards sat in the 90 degree heat reading my "Intern Survival Guide." Hah.

Here is a picture of my roommate, Lauren, me, and my classmate from med school, Ben, on the top of Mount Evans last week.

Ashley, Andy, and everyone else, thank you for the lovely birthday card! I would love to host you at the end of October. My vacation is from October 11-19. I am starting on the cardiology floor at UCH after that, but we can definitely still hang out in the evenings. Did I mention that I am on call overnight at the VA on our very first day, June 23, which also happens to be my birthday??? I am hoping that means I will be a white cloud. Bless you if you actually read this whole blog, and wish me luck because I am scared!!!

Overshare of the Century and Other Assorted Thoughts

Dear all,

Well, I am all settled in to my new apartment and awaiting my roommate's arrival the end of next week. I decided to be productive and went earlier this week to the Denver DMV to procure my Colorado driver's license. Seriously, it was just like it was portrayed in sitcoms. I expected to just go in at 11:00 AM and be out in time for lunch. Hah. It was a huge room with two hundred people inside. Three hours later, they finally call my number for me to go up to the counter! To make matters worse, I unwittingly sat down next to a nut case. This fifty-year-old woman starts telling me all about her anxiety disorders that her doctors told her were "messing up her brain," how her knees and hips hurt, how she was unemployed, and how she had gone bankrupt because she lent some money to her ungrateful daughter. Not wanting to be completely rude, I nodded weakly at the appropriate junctures and tried to look away as often as I could. I was just about to tell her that she didn't really need to tell me all about her private life when her number was called, and I sneaked off to a seat further up towards the front of the room. After this delight, I went to get an emissions test on my vehicle. The next day I got my car registered and my new license plates. A lot of random things to take care of when moving to a new state that I didn't anticipate! I spent today watching Lost episodes because it is rainy and only 55 degrees outside. However, it is supposed to be back in the 80's this weekend, so my summer resolution is to try to make the best of my last week of vacation! Specific goals are still pending...

A Dream Come True...

Feeding a real live giraffe at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! My life is complete.

Summer Resolutions

The blog has been silent lately, so I thought I'd resurrect a post from 2006: summer resolutions. Who wants to wake up on August 15 and realize that summer is almost over and nothing fun has happened?

1) Finish planting flowers. I got off to a slow start this spring.
2) Go to the lake often. Host many get-togethers at said lake.
3) Get to the Jazz in June festival as much as possible.
4) Try new farmers' markets in town. Lincoln's original farmers' market is nice, but it's gotten super-crowded and isn't held at the most convenient time.
5) Go to Roca Berry Farm and pick strawberries. Hmm. I bet I need to do that next week to get the best berries ...
6) Once a week, go on a walk or a run outside my neighborhood.
7) Take a mini-vacation. I'm not sure where, though.
8) Get back in shape. This really should be my No. 1 goal. ;)
9) Go boating. This is dependent on my father-in-law's willingness to get the boat ready; therefore, achieving this goal will be difficult.
10) Take 1-2 vacation days for no reason, other than to enjoy the beautiful weather.

What are your summer resolutions?

Change of Address

Just kidding about the previous address. We ended up liking another apartment better, not too far away. Here's the real one:

8501 E. Alameda Ave. #1238
Denver, CO 80230

Quick Question

Julie and I are trying to come up with belated Mother's Day/birthday ideas. Did you guys find that the webcam worked well for communicating b/w Scottsbluff and Lincoln? What brand did you use?

I will see you soon!!!

Maybe my prediction will turn out right after all

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20080512/ts_usnews/sourcehuckabeetopsmccainsveeplist

It's the little things.

Today I got a cubicle upgrade. My new digs are in the one room in this building that has a ton of natural light. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I feel much more creative and energetic when my surroundings are bright and sunny. Plus, I've moved away from my annoying cube neighbor who spends at least an hour each day taking personal calls, usually to communicate with her deadbeat son and his babymama. Oh, the stories I could tell about that family.

I've been in no-window/broom closet hell since late 2005, so this is a hugely exciting change. (No, really, my area in engineering had been converted from a storage closet to a really crowded, shitty office.) And I have a DOOR for the first time since coming to the university.

I still miss my State Capitol office. First of all, it was an actual office instead of a cubicle. I had windows from floor to ceiling -- probably close to 18 feet of pure window. Because I was on the 10th floor, I could see thunderstorms coming from a county away. I doubt I'll ever have an office that sweet again.

I realize how pathetic this sounds. You're probably thanking your lucky stars that you'll never experience cubicle hell. I'll admit that it can feel soul-sucking at times, which is why I'm a huge believer in natural light and surrounding myself with personal belongings in addition to the usual office trappings.

Funny Finding

I'm studying for my Pharmacology final right now (Julie do you want to come show me your genius on this stuff? I totally admire what you are doing with your life by the way!) and I came across the funniest contradiction. The section I'm studying is on herbal medications. I came across saw palmetto, which is used to help benign prostatic hypertrophy. This condition is found in MEN (hint, they have a prostate, girls don't). Under the slide entitled "Precautions" it states "avoid during pregnancy and lactation." ??? LOL Does anyone else find it funny that they list a herbal medication for MEN and then tell pregnant and lactating WOMEN not to take it? Maybe I'm just delirious, but I found this outrageous and giggled for about 20 seconds.

P.S. I took my first final this morning and got an A!!!! It is my first A this semester. All things considered, I dare say I kicked some ass. :)

Download Now!

For you Something Corporate and Jack's Manequinn fans out there, check out the album "Do You Feel" by the Rocket Summer.

I particularly enjoy the tunes "A Song is Not A Business Plan" and "So Much Love."

Same whiney piano punk with a little bit of an 80's vibe. Enjoy.

http://www.purevolume.com/therocketsummer

It's almost over!

I'm very excited to say that I can FINALLY see that the end is near, in a good way. Next week I have three finals and then I'm done with this horrible semester. I'm so excited to go home and work on Hayley time!

This semester was a big learning experience for me. I've learned that I have to give myself more credit and that my grades won't reflect the work that I put in. It's been a struggle to maintain my relationships this semester too. I rarely had time to give anyone a phone call and talk for any extended amount of time. Thankfully, I have a loving family and a few good friends that put up with my brief calls. However, I pursued a guy this semester. Most of the semester and our "relationship" was not official and me waiting around for him to get over an old relationship. When we offically started dating we found that we weren't meant to date. The bad part of it all is that he won't have anything to do with me and in our group of friends some people have chose to pick sides. It's inevidable. Even though all this drama sucks, I've learned to be assertive and stand up for myself.

Also, within the last two weeks I've met someone that has totally changed my perspective on life and my semester. I won't spill the beans on much because it's a little premature, but this guy has restored my faith in my decisions and myself. Anyway, before I get all deep, I'll sign off. Good luck to all of you still in school, and to those that aren't enjoy the spring weather!

I am my own worst enemy....

Because every now and then, I beat the living Shit outta me.

In teh last 72 hours, I've managed to get a massive sunburn, stay up waaaaay too late on Saturday night, overdo it on a landscaping project causing my entire body to ache, and I keep bumping my knees on the coffee table we've moved all of 2 inches.

Based on genetics alone, our spawn will only have a 25% chance to make it past their third birthday.

Breakups

You know how you can foresee that a situation is going to turn bad at some point, but you don't know how or when or how to prevent it from happening?

Andy and I have had a falling out with a couple who used to be two of our best friends. The friendship had been suffering for 2.5 or 3 years because of a variety of issues that I won't bore you with, but a conversation last evening probably ended it.

We've tried to fix things but it just isn't working anymore. Everybody talks about how much romantic breakups suck, but friendship breakups hurt, too. We still care about them and really miss what we used to have, but the friendship has been more stressful than fun for a really long time now. We're just plain tired of it. Plus, they're still utterly clueless about what led us to this point, despite several conversations where we've laid it all out there.

The "breakup" is just the tip of the iceberg, I fear. They're part of our group of college friends, and we've continued inviting them to parties and gatherings even while things have been weird. In the past year, they've declined about half the invitations and have started distancing themselves from the rest of us. Should we take that as a sign to stop extending the olive branch altogether? Continue inviting them, just to avoid awkwardness with the rest of the group? The last thing I want to do is screw up the group dynamics, but you know how these things can go.

Blarg. I hate this. It's a long time coming but I'm still really sad about how this has turned out.

super lecture, andy. i had to watch it in three shifts, but it was truly inspiring.

Hayley's Update

Speed Updates
Since everyone is super busy these days, here's a quick way to update everyone on how you're doing today. Just reply and replace my answers with yours.

I’m dreaming of: playing more sand volleyball and roasting s'mores by a campfire
I’m procrastinating on: Nothing...I don't have time to put off anything. I'm currently in the library studying for a test tomorrow. Tomorrow I will continue my marathon of studying. But, I've found new company here that is the hunky boy variety. Yummy!
I’ve accomplished: making charts for my up-and-coming tests
I’m listening to: Blackout-- Britney Spear's new CD. I know she's a psycho "new" hottie and all, but she has some upbeat tunes!
I’m reading: Medical/Surgical notes, NCLEX prep books
I need to buy: deodorant (don't worry mine's not ALL the way out yet), groceries, a new summer wedding dress!!!
This person/place/thing made me smile today: Hmm...the hunk at the library. Other than that, I will sadly say I've been a bundle of nerves/stress/anxiety. The pressure is on.
The Idiot of the Day Award goes to: I could give a lot of these out today, but here's one case of Idiot of the Day Award: my classmate Mandee (not the sharpest tool in the shed) asks, "So, when you're a carrier do you like have the disease? Teacher: yes Mandee, when you're a carrier for a disease you have it in your genes. So you do have symptoms?" I mean please.
I’m dreading: 1. this weekend, 2. the next week and a half. I have 6 tests in 9 days. Yikes! Plus, I miss my family and friends like crazy and I haven't had much time to communicate.
I'm looking forward to: going out tomorrow night to see a scary movie with my friends.
I CAN’T go to bed until: I fall asleep at my computer. However, I don't foresee this becoming a problem because I haven't slept very well for the past week. I've had restless nights full of nightmares. Any suggestions?

Addition: Ironic Situation of the Semester-
The girl that currently lives with my ex-roommate told me today that she's done living with her and wants to know if I would live with her next semester. All I can say is, Julianne, karma is a bitch. I hope you enjoy!

My Speedy Update

I’m dreaming of: wearing my swimsuit on a hot summer day in the lifeguard chair
I’m procrastinating on: many things...finishing a project for Math Methods that isn't due until the week before finals, but I really would like to have it out of the way, writing an Education philosophy that will probably make me break down and wonder if I will be a good teacher, working on gathering information for a Communications symposium (whoever decided to have the stupid class in Doane Plan was an idiot), studying for the PPST (Pre-Professional Skills Test) that will decide if I get to continue in my education to become a teacher, and working on my Education portfolio...yes, I am stressed...
I’ve accomplished: getting the majority of said Math Methods project done (unfortunately it won't finish itself)
I’m listening to: the sound of the shower coming from the bathroom on the other side of the wall...weird
I’m reading: Summer Boys by Haley Abbott (when I have time, that is) it's a re-read, but it gets me in the mood for summer
I need to buy: I just went to Wal-Mart an hour ago. I needed band-aids to cover up my wounds from having moles removed...a mole was atypical, so they decided to slice some more off to check out
This person/place/thing made me smile today: Chip - after I complained about starting to get love handles from all the stress eating I've been doing, he told me I was still hot, he loved me, and my body is perfect the way it is
The Idiot of the Day Award goes to: the stupid idiot who teaches my digital photography class...here's a novel idea, instead of messing around on photoshop, why don't we actually learn how to take good pictures??? stupid. Oh, and Tyson Compton for not calling Stop Day today. It was a gorgeous day, and this week would have worked so much better for me rather than next week when I will have two tests following Stop Day.
I’m dreading: giving up my weekends to make time to finish my stupid projects
I'm looking forward to: STOP DAY!!! I was really hoping they would call it for today, but they didn't...it will probably be next Wednesday...I can't wait!!!
I CAN’T go to bed until: Well, since I'm procrastinating on everything else, I just need to take a shower before bed.

Mi Casa

Hi guys!

Recently I have had an uncanny ability to have problems solved without even trying. I was planning to start searching for apartments online this past Saturday. However, last Friday night one of my fellow interns-to-be, from the University of Illinois Medical School in Rockford emailed me asking if I wanted to be her roommate. We had actually met on our interviews here at the UW and at Mayo and got along really well. So, after a flurry of emails between each other, our respective families, and the apartment leasing office, I am pleased to announce my new address, as of June 1:

901 Colorado Blvd.
#331
Denver, CO 80206

We got a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a washer/dryer in the unit, plus there is a little computer room in there so I don't have to haul out my computer desk. It faces the outdoor pool. The nice thing is that the rent will be basically the same as I am paying now in Madison, plus, unlike here, parking is included at no extra cost. I am really excited. Plus, this afternoon I was trying to responsibly read something medical, when my resident and intern plopped down next to me and decided to start Google mapping their houses and the attending's house. I had never seen it before, so I played around looking at my new neighborhood in Colorado! My intern was similarly dumbfounded, and was like, "I am so proud of humanity! Yeah, we can't solve world hunger, but we can photograph nearly every house in the United States!"

Of course, Mom and I had already bought plane tickets to visit Denver the end of April to find housing, but now we can just relax more out there and check out the apartment and measure rooms and everything. I had just been planning on rooming alone, but it will be nice to have someone to talk to after work, especially not really knowing anyone out in Denver.

Take an hour to watch this.....

When you have about 76 minutes to kill, take time to look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

It is the last lecture from a Pixar-type professor dying of pancreatic cancer, and it talks about life, dreams, legacies, families, etc.

The first 45 minutes is a handful of fun stories, but the second part is really touching. Makes you think a lot about your own life.

If any of you are doing any sort of early shopping for Andy's birthday, he's written a book as well called "The Last Lecture" -- and you know my cheap ass likes the value that used books offer (Its like $12 used on Amazon).

maybe if i focus on summer....

though I don't technically get a summer break, my weekends will likely be free enough to enjoy the good weather. currently, i most look forward to hiking though state parks and swimming in their lakes.

super. that was 30 seconds i didn't get to think about the semester projects i haven't even started yet.

share you summer visions with me. =)

Speedy Reply #1

I’m dreaming of: warm spring days when the tulips are in full bloom.
I’m procrastinating on: training for our half-marathon.
I’m listening to: raindrops on my window.
I’m reading: mostly about mechanical ventilation these days, sorry dudes.
I need to buy: Mmmmmm, craisins.
This person/place/thing made me smile today: The thought of seeing Julie's smiling face again.
The Idiot of the Day Award goes to: I, too, clearly hate grammatical errors. However, my person potentially beats your person. Young man in mid-twenties intentionally ingested 75 grams tylenol (150 500 mg capsules) and is now practically on the liver transplant list. I helped admit him last night. At 1 AM.
I’m dreading: nada
I'm looking forward to: Flying to Colorado the end of the month.
I CAN’T go to bed until: I finish this speedy update!

Speed Updates

Since everyone is super busy these days, here's a quick way to update everyone on how you're doing today. Just reply and replace my answers with yours.

I’m dreaming of: playing on a beach
I’m procrastinating on: a writing project
I’ve accomplished: getting a bunch of content to our Web guy before he leaves for vacation
I’m listening to: John Mayer’s Continuum album
I’m reading: the new issue of Newsweek
I need to buy: shampoo
This person/place/thing made me smile today: Seeing Andy bundled up and snoozing on my side of the bed, looking all peaceful and adorable.
The Idiot of the Day Award goes to: The woman running for Legislature in my district, whose mailer included this sentence: “This is my forth year as an Aid for District 21.”
I’m dreading: Driving to Grand Island tomorrow for an early-morning photo shoot
I'm looking forward to: A girls’ night out this weekend
I CAN’T go to bed until: I clean the litter box. Yikes!

My New Haircut

Visit?

One time long ago, we'd talked about a cousin get-together in Lincoln after Mary's graduation. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that the weekends of the 10th and the 17th are bad for us because of family graduations and cousins getting confirmed. However, we'd still love to host you in late May/early June.

Now, for some belated Easter pics ...

Weekend Update

Today Madison reached the 100 inches mark for snowfall this year, the most ever recorded. Yay for us. Friday we got 7.7 inches, then a blizzard at the end of my and Julie's 6 mile run this afternoon tipped us over the edge. In other news, half-marathon-training season is upon us. I have never run 6 miles before in one setting, so I am quite pleased with myself. The big day is May 25.

Drum roll, please...

I MATCHED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO!!!

quick san diego update

we went surfing yesterday!!! then walked the beach and boardwalk. today is the zoo. thursday is possibly shopping and wine tasting. friday back to madison.

the city is incredibly clean and beautiful, though i still don't think i could live in a city. i love the modern edge on a lot of the condos/apartments here too. i took pictures of a couple.

meanwhile, good luck to mary with her match tomorrow!

Hellooooo? Anyone out there?

The blog has been a bit quiet for my liking, but I know everyone is far more studious and busy than I am right now. Random updates on my life:

Hayley and I are going to Kansas City this weekend to shop and see our lovely relatives. That means we'll have some new family photos to post soon! (We'll do our best to capture all of London's cuteness. And Erv's, hee hee.)

Last weekend, I finally convinced Andy to try Indian food. He's now a fan. Yay! Bonus: Our friend Melissa's parents ended up at the same restaurant as us & sent a bottle of wine to our table.

We're in the process of buying a car and life insurance. (The timing is coincidental, by the way.) Fun, right?

I was going to report that I'm healthy again, but I've had a bit of a relapse this week. Either I've been overdoing it or I'm catching the nasty cold that's been circulating around my office.
I'm in charge of the Anderson Easter Egg Hunt this year! You're never too old for pastel candy goodness, I say. Plus, this year we *might* have a 9-year-old "visitor" at our Easter festivities because Grandpa (allegedly) has a 45-year-old girlfriend with a young kid. If she's really his girlfriend--and not some well-meaning lady who befriends the elderly--it's beyond creepy. We choose to deny that this is going on.

What is the Wisconsin branch doing for Easter this year? Should we make batches of Jiggler eggs and think of each other?

Don't get too excited, but ...

I am totally painting my future (yet to be conceived) daughter's room like this. It's girly without being overly babyish and cutesy.

I'm sure some of you have seen this already. Cute kids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

Mary dear:

When do you find out the next chapter of your life? Isn't March the month when you find out where you'll be doing your residency? Good luck to you my dear!

Spooky

Prepare yourself for a profound blog.

Fact: I dusted my coffee table this weekend, and it was completely empty when I placed my radiology study materials onto it.

Fact: Radiology does not entirely thrill me, so I dozed off a little bit.

When I awoke, I discovered a partially empty Deja Blue water bottle sitting on my coffee table. However, I just bought Ice Mountain water bottles and know for sure that there should be no other brands of water bottles in my apartment, let alone mysteriously appearing on my table. Also, I noticed that my billfold was sitting on top of my schedule, when I thought it was in my backpack. So, I am left with 3 disconcerting possibilities: 1) I have ghosts; 2) I am going crazy; or 3) there was an intruder in my apartment who likes to leave H2O bottles behind.

Julie, you or the parents didn't leave it in my apartment yesterday, did you? I know, you only drink Evian.

seriously the best youtube ever.

watch it! expect something just as awesome from my (future, unannounced) wedding reception!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImBaVm7K6Do

p.s. how do you add a video directly to the blog page?

A minor distraction

Alanis takes on a modern tune. Enjoy.

As if you needed proof that I'm an Anderson ...

I'm having a klutzy day.

This morning, I spilled a bottle of water. It ran behind the desk and formed a puddle just three inches from the power strip. Yikes!

Then, when I took my Lean Cuisine panini out of the microwave, it slipped off its special high-tech grilling platform and landed face-down on the floor. Cleaning melted cheese off a carpeted floor is a bitch, my friends.

I wonder what kind of trouble I'll get into tonight when I'm painting the cupboards in Andy's bathroom?

I realize this isn't groundbreaking blog material, but I figured that you guys would sympathize with my plight, hee hee.

Happy V-Day

Happy Valentine's Day, cousins. In honor of the holiday, I made cupcakes for Andy. The darker pink ones have raspberry filling. The light pinks are plain vanilla with buttercream frosting.

Political Predictions

Obama will win Wisconsin, Hilary is finished. I think he will take John Edwards as his VP

John Mccain will win Wisconsin. Mike Huckabee will be his VP.

McCain/Huckabee ticket will win the election. Americans will vote for the experienced--sorry Obama, maybe in a few more years--- "grandfather" figure mccain (he's the next Eisenhower basically). Mccain is weak on social issues. Almost all of Huckabee's positions appeal to me, especially having FairTax. The combination of them lures conservatives that are interested in social issues and national security...they offset eachother's weaknesses. Soon after taking office Mccain will die---My man will become President. fin

Security settings

I have tightened the privacy settings on our blog so that nobody except us (or anyone we want to invite) can read our blog. I KNOW I selected this option when I set up the blog, but I'm thinking that setting went away when Google took over Blogger about a year ago. Remember when we had to change our sign-in stuff? I assumed that our settings would stay the same once everything switched over, but that was a bad assumption to make. I never even thought to check whether our privacy settings stayed the same. Gah. The problem is fixed now.

The Mysterious Disappearing Posts

Okay, you may or may not have noticed that my posts no longer appear on the blog. Julie alerted me the other day that the blog is in fact not secure and that any schmoe can read what is on it. Therefore, I deleted all my posts in a panic. Not that anyone probably cares what we write, but I wrote a lot of stories about exploits in medical school. Nothing came close to breaking HIPAA confidentiality, but I still wouldn't want anyone but you guys to be reading them. Overreaction? I know not.

I just finished my Step 2 clinical skills exam in Chicago. Mom and Dad drove me there to keep me company. Hopefully I passed. It was the last big hoop to jump through before graduation. Match Day is March 20. We are voting on slogans for our Match Day t-shirts...

One of my favorite suggestions by people in our class...

"$50,000 in medical school tuition. Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS, $2000. 500 cups of coffee, 500 Mountain Dews, 200 Red Bulls...$4000. Matching in your dream residency? Priceless. There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there are student loans."

...a little wordy though.

Paul and I are going to try to go to the Obama rally at the Kohl Center tomorrow...yes, a DEMOCRAT rally! For historical purposes.

Monday Musings

So...I probably have no excuse for not blogging, but I am really boring these days. Just be taking care of a tired wife who is still shaking off mono and that's about it.

On the guitar front, I have a handful of songs under my belt and am enjoying the practice. Still really struggling with bar chords and moving from other chords to C and back. Its a toughie.

On the ordaining front, there was a big article in the paper that talked about getting ordained online. So.....I have been researching the two different sites. Neither of them charge and most o it takes about 30 minutes to get through the material.

I started running the couch-to-5-K plan in January, but have taken the last two weeks off by accident. I lack motivation and the extreme cold and a small home improvement project got in the way. Ash decided we want to paint the basement and rearrange all of the furniture. So that's done now, but I got off schedule. My goal is get get back to where I was by the end of February and then keep the momentum going in March.

Work is getting better. We're plowing through a transition period, but my role may actually improve as time goes by. Was contacted by a job at Michigan State by a search firm, but I am not a fan of East Lansing and probably not quite ready for a job like that.

Got our taxes done already. Whee. Too bad our "conservative" president can't balance a budget with what we are charged for taxes. Unbelievable.

So, I caucused this weekend. A fascinating process, and the first time ever for Nebraska to hold its primary in that manner. Loads of fun, and it was at a golf course by my house, so there was beer available. Now that is politics.

Speaking of....I'd like our Political Science expert in the family to break down the candidates, who he supports, who he thinks will win, and what he thinks will happen in Wisconsin. With Wisconsin coming up, I'd like to know how Paully thinks they are going to go.

fitness newsletter

My personal trainer just set up a monthly newsletter that he prepares and can be sent out to anyone who signs up at his webpage, not just his clients as it was before.

http://www.dustinmaherfitness.com/

They're actually pretty good... inspiring with some practical fitness tips. Definitely sign up and read what he has to say for a few months - can't hurt!

Let's run off to Europe and become artists

Today, my work took me to the Home Economics building -- one of the few places on campus I’ve never been. I went there to interview a guy who is affiliated with the quilt center I mentioned in an earlier blog.

I’ve always heard that the textiles, clothing and design department is like a different universe. I figured that was because the TCD girls dress like Project Runway models while the rest of campus is grubbing out in sweatpants and Uggs.

But TCD turned out to be so much more. (This is not sarcasm, by the way.)

Once I contained my glee over seeing Vogue in the waiting room (what other place on campus has the good sense to offer this amenity?), I was able to focus. Kind of. I secretly wanted to sneak into the studios and touch all the gorgeous fabric.

Until college, I engaged in some form of creative expression every day, whether it was in music class, doing layout for the yearbook, or just spending time alone drawing or writing. I don’t do any of that anymore. The only bummer about turning your hobby into a career is that it’s, well, work. After spending half my day or more on writing projects, it’s the last thing I want to do when I come home. Also, journalism school was the best and worst thing that ever happened to my writing, but that’s a story for another time.

Being in the studios reminded me that it would be nice to have an artsy hobby again. I’ve channeled most of my artistic energy into home decorating, which is fun, but I can’t paint the living room every weekend. It’s just not practical; we have 10-foot ceilings. Not that I haven’t thought about it, heh heh.

So, ladies and gents, I have some ideas:

• Sing in a choir. That would probably require joining a church -- yet another story for another day.
• Sewing, although I’m not sure I have the patience for it
• More card decorating
• Photography
• Learning the right way to mat and frame photos
• What else?

Side note -- Didn’t we have fun back in the day, making posters for Grandpa’s room and splatter-painting when Mom and Cindy weren’t looking?

It's 44 degrees this morning! yay!

After last week's subzero temperatures, I was super happy that it was 50 yesterday. Andy and I walked about 1.5 miles, which isn't much, but was a huge accomplishment for me since my ass has been firmly planted on the couch for the last month. It was wonderful to walk outside wearing a fleece jacket instead of my heavy Columbia coat or a wool jacket. Today is the last day of this wonderful spring-like weather (and I hear snow is on the way again), but oh well. Any respite from winter is nice.

I get lots of nesting urges in the winter. Tonight, I'm going to start sketching plans for my spring gardening projects. I might even paint the basement soon, if I'm feeling up to it.

my final year of pharmacy school

Big news!!! My 6 clerkship blocks for next year have been posted. This is the order, with two in each semester (summer, fall, and spring):

1-2. La Crosse, WI
3. Aiea, HI (yes, that's in HAWAII!!!!!)
4. Bayfield, WI
5. Boscobel, WI
6. Tomah, WI

All but hawaii offer free housing, which is mostly how I'm affording to go so far away. I'm super pumped. I was probably the only one who got all their top choices (it helped that most of my choices weren't popular ones). I've even been making lists of fun activities to do in each of these locations. YAY!

When walking from place to place

this is a good tune to listen to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BugFniXE1rc

guaranteed to get you whistling

Happy new year!

So I'm about 19 days late, but the sentiment still stands. :) I figure since I haven't blogged for awhile, except for a few comments here and there, that I'd contribute.

My year has gone swimmingly so far. Yes, I still have mono and don't feel awesome yet. However, my mind is at peace now that I'm not working at a place that made me cry at least once a week and gave me a panic attack (not an exaggeration, unfortunately). I really like my new job. Everyone has been so welcoming, and I like what I'm doing. I'm a writer and editor for the university's research office, which means I'm one of the first people to hear about and publicize everyone's nifty inventions. I love working for a university-wide office because I don't have to focus on one subject -- I cover everything from the arts and humanities, to science and engineering, to agriculture, to quilt studies. My first major assignment was on continuous nanofibers. Do I really understand what that means? Just barely. But since I've made a career out of knowing a little bit about a lot of things, I can usually pull together a decent story when I have time to do my research.

Other random thoughts:
* I've been guzzling green tea, in hopes that it will boost my immune system. Plain green tea tastes like grass. Green tea with jasmine tastes like you're munching on an orchid (or what I imagine what that would taste like). ;) Green tea infused with lemon and honey is bearable.

* The end-of-season sales have been out of control. Or rather, my spending has been out of control, tee hee. But how am I supposed to pass up a pair of wool dress pants for $17.99 at Banana Republic? Or the $9 sweatpants at Express? Or J. Crew's online sales? Gah, somebody should block jcrew.com on my Safari browser because I'm pretty sure it'll be my downfall.

* I posted a picture of my new Easter dress. This is the first non-sale item that I've bought at BR, but it is so me. The picture doesn't do it justice; just ask Hayley how cute I looked. :)

* This weekend, I am working on a list of New Year's resolutions, which include grand visions of keeping my inbox de-cluttered and taking better care of myself. Once I start feeling better, I will start running again and using Julie's tips for toning the badonk.

* Mom, Hayley, Lindsey and I saw 27 Dresses this afternoon. 'Twas a very enjoyable chick flick, and hello eye candy ... James Marsden is a hottie. I've loved him ever since he was on Party of Five back in 1995. Oh, and he was Lon in the The Notebook.

* I think May would be a great time for a cousin reunion.

Update to My Life - Part 2

Hello all! I'm writing from my cute new apartment. I am giddy because I'm blaring my upbeat music that I like and I don't have to worry about if anyone else likes it. I love living by myself! Not to mention my friends are all in my building. It has changed me already. Today I giggled a lot...looks like I'm more back to my old self.

Yesterday was my first day of classes and it was very overwhelming. This semester I have Medical/Surgical with a twice a week clinical, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology. Basically, I will be devoting my precious time with my text books. Good thing I knew about the rigorous load of this semester already. Last night I already started studying and I have my first test tomorrow on IVs and IV calculations.

Today, was probably one of the best labs I've had yet. I learned about IVs, how to put them in, take them out, and change the meds. It was very exciting practicing on computer simulation programs and rubber arms! I met my clinical instructor for this semester today, and she seems very nice and makes a lot of jokes. She gave me a smiley face and a great on my paper today for my IV skills. Needless to say I was stoked...but mostly because she digs smiley face reward systems! Of course I had to add a little bit of Hayley to the day, so as we are rotating to practice setting up the IV pump I have to maneuver around another IV pole complete with four different IV lines. As I try to expertly step over the cords, I manage to use the dreaded Anderson Clumsy tricks and get my legs caught in all the cords. Luckily I'm really good at laughing at myself; and my classmates got a kick out of my grace as well.

I'm not sure how exciting this information is to everyone else, but it is refreshing to see that I can still smile and get a laugh out of my classmates. After being under the stress of Julianne, I lost my humor. Now I just smile when I watch her show up late and ditch out of class early. Looks like maybe I won after all. Suck on that!

finance advice

andy, i'm starting to become curious/concerned about my future finances... for when i graduate in a year and a half. i realize i will have plenty of money to work with, i just want to make sure i make the best decisions with it.

do you have any suggestions for books, magazines, webpages, etc. that i can start perusing? i want to save as much as possible, and invest safely. there's this plan that eventually i'll find a man and have kids, so someday i may want to have saved a bundle... make life easier.

An Update From Lincoln

Friday evening musings, while at home with a sick wife.

Well, we survived 2007. Barely.

I am graduated and Ashley has finally escaped the evil clutches of the Engineering college.
But such a long, bad, stressful year was certain to have a hang-over of sorts.

Ash got mono. Yup, mono. So, her long anticipated start at a new employer will have to be delayed slightly. She tried to go in on her first day and they sent her home at noon. Since then, her days have consisted for sleeping, reading and cuddling with the cat. Once this passes, 2008 is settng up to be swell.

Since my studies have completed, I've kept busy. Caring for an ill wife has taken some time, but allowed me to catch up on mundane chores such as budgeting and checkbook balancing or de-fragmenting our hard drives and putting away holiday decorations. I've spent a bit of time with the new guitar and have picked up some things. I have most major chords down and can pick out a few tunes. I have new respect for Dave Matthews, Colin Hay John Mayer, Ben Folds, Pearl Jam and Counting Crows. Even though I have heard those songs thousands of times, I am hearing these songs much differently and am falling in love with them all over again. Kindof a cool experience. As a stark contrast to a teenager learning saxophone, I am actually enjoying practicing. Though if I could play Pearl Jam on the sax, I might enjoy it more.

I'm starting my running routine soon. I turn 30 in 6 months and 3 days and one of my post-graduation goals is to get into the best shape of my life by the time I'm 30. Now, I've never been really in shape, and I've never been that far out of shape really this this may not take much of an accomplishment. But I do have some goals to work for. I want to try and run a mile non-stop without rest by the end of March and if I don't hate myself by then maybe get more ambitious and try a 5K. We'll see. There is a facebook application called runalicous that will track my progress. When the weather warms a bit, we get started -- or head to the rec center.

I'm actually feeling pretty good today. After flirting with the Wisconsin Alumni Associaiton, I got a call from Illinois today. My counterpart there retires in 3 years and he wanted to let me know he has to find a person to take over for him in the next two years that would spend a final year under him before taking over a vice presidency job. I'm not really looking, but it is nice to know that he thought of me and if things turn sour in this transition period at the NAA, I have options out there.

I also talked to my former boss today (the one who was forced to retire). Good to hear from him and know that he still thought well of me. He's a good mentor and I miss him quite a bit sometimes.

It is difficult to type with all your fingertips on the left hand numb from guitar practice.

Oh yeah....the Asian markets. Still holding up OK, and Pacific and European markets are solid with the credit crunch and rising fuel costs. Tat may slow down China a bit, but we'll see. I'd stick to consumer staples like P&G, look at Oil Refineres and rail transportation in this market.

We should get Cole bloging now that we knwo he has internet and much free tiem out in Kearney. Though I hear rumors or scattered dates.

So Ashley got Mono from our dearest Hayley. I figure it is karma for the flu sickness I passed to Hayley last Christmas that took 7 lbs off of me, and sidelined her for a couple days. It is no secret Hayley and one of my male friends have been in communication for awhile, and I'm staying out of it (though given complete blessing). Though if my pal comes down with Mono, I may have to give Hayley a hard time or perhaps question Ashley's fidelity. :)

Download now: The Wanderer by Marc Broussard and Six Feet Under the Stars by All Time Low. I may have already mentioned Six Feet Under the Stars as a lot of this fall is a blur. If so my apologies, but there is a line about State Street in there that reminds me of Madison.

I got to touch the Stanley Cup. Pictures to soon follow.

Mary, best of luck with the upcoming interviews and travels. When you have a finalist list assembled, I can give you all sorts of info that is not in the brochure on quite a few campuses.

That's all for now. Night all. And happy new year.